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| -Signs, Portents, and the Weather- |
| Pestilence: Washington Has A Serious Rat Problem, Complaints Up 64% |
| 2018-01-06 |
| [Hot Air] Before you drain the swamp, you might need to get rid of some of the rats in the nation’s capitol. Wednesday the Washington Post reported that the number of complaints about rats is up sharply in Washington, DC and rat control experts for the city are recommending a new way of dealing with them: With complaints to the city’s 311 phone line concerning rats at a four-year high, city officials are turning to dry ice ‐ the frozen form of carbon dioxide ‐ to suffocate rodents. But dry ice will not replace the poison that the District’s rodent control division currently uses, said its program manager Gerard Brown. "It’s just going to be another tool in our toolbox," said Brown, who has been killing rats in Washington for 30 years. His explanation for how dry ice works is concise, and a little dramatic: "The CO2 that emanates from the dry ice suffocates the rats, and their homes become their graves," he said... The District’s rat problem is not new, but it has worsened in recent years. The surging rat population is driven by a combination of factors, including Washington’s booming human population, which means more trash, and recent mild winters, which means fewer rats die from frigid temperatures ‐ although city officials are hoping the current cold snap will help reduce the population. There have been 3,286 rat complaints to the city this fiscal year, up 64 percent from fiscal year 2015, according to data from the health department. Rats congregate in our largest cities where they can scour the alleys and subway platforms for a free lunch (and dinner). Orkin pest control puts out a list of the U.S. cities with the worst rat problems every year and in the most recent list, Washington actually came in 5th place behind Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. One New Yorker seemed skeptical that any city could have more rats than New York. From the NY Daily News: |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #6 CO2 suffocation is deemed the humane way to kill pests and unwanted animals. Doubt it is too effective. Pandering to the animal rights lobby I suspect. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2018-01-06 16:41 |
| #5 Why are they using CO2????!!!! Don't they know that CO2 is the major cause of global warming? |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2018-01-06 12:16 |
| #4 And they also have rodents!(rimshot) |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2018-01-06 09:09 |
| #3 Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco Why are Democrat run cities such rat infested holes? |
| Posted by: AlanC 2018-01-06 07:49 |
| #2 Ripley: I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2018-01-06 07:45 |
| #1 A few have been found to be four legged, most however are upright primates who aspire to remain in Washington until death. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2018-01-06 06:45 |